Makel Engineering
Develops chemical sensing systems and advanced R&D for aerospace/defense, including additive manufacturing of energetic materials and embedded sensor systems for NDE of AM parts.
- CEO / Founder
- Darby Makel
- Team Size
- 11-50
- Stage
- Established
- Total Funding
- Government contract funding: $899,938 NASA firm-fixed-price contract (80NSSC20C0361); additional SBIR/STTR awards from NASA (amounts not specified). No equity funding rounds identified.
- Latest Round
- Bootstrapped
Technology & Products
Key Products
Chemical sensing systems; Hydrogen/oxygen sensors; Embedded sensor systems for NDE; AM-fabricated energetic material payloads; Passive antenna fabrication
Technological Advantage
Proprietary chemical sensor technology and AM processes for energetic materials; long track record with NASA and DoD; ISO 9001:2015 certified.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Provides mission-critical chemical sensing and custom R&D for extreme environments, with AM capabilities for rapid fabrication of energetic material payloads and embedded sensors for in-situ NDE.
How They Differentiate
Niche focus on chemical sensing and AM for energetic materials and NDE, with deep NASA/DoD relationships.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
NASA, DoD, aerospace OEMs, clean energy companies
Industry Verticals
Aerospace; Military & Defense; Industrial/Clean Energy; Advanced R&D
Competitors
Senvol (additive manufacturing data analytics and qualification); Sigma Labs (in-process monitoring and quality assurance for metal AM)
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Annual revenue estimated at $7 million (2026, per RocketReach); recognized as a key player in hydrogen sensor market reports (MarketsandMarkets, Dataintelo, Knowledge Sourcing); partnership with Internet of Things Inc for ThermalPass fever detection system testing (2016).
Major Milestones
Founded 1995; ISO 9001:2015 certification; CRADA with LLNL for powder bed printing of energetic materials; NASA SBIR awards
Notable Customers
NASA; U.S. Department of Defense; Ford Motor Company; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory